Walking a Fine Line
by jessielions89
Summary: Inspired from tonight's episode. April and Jackson's disagreement over when life begins might have devastating consequences when April suffers prenatal complications. Takes place in a slightly AU world in which Addison still works at Grey Sloan Memorial. Also a couple years in the future.
1. Chapter 1

Addison offered her hand to April in a friendly gesture as she entered the exam room. She was never quite sure how to refer to other doctors she was treating as patients, especially doctors that she knew in her personal life and worked closely with. It seemed unprofessional to call them by their first name, but cold and clinical to call them by their title. Ultimately, she decided that a friendly tone would best. "Hello, April."

"Hello."

"Jackson" she nodded, turning to the chair on the other side of the room. "Glad you could make it."

"Of course. I've been waiting for a new sonogram picture for weeks."

She smiled, and turned back to April. "Do you have any questions or concerns before we begin?"

"Yes, actually. I'm sure it's nothing, but I've been feeling dizzy."

"You never told me that" Jackson said.

"It's not necessarily indicative of any problem" she said, hoping to calm the anxious father. "But, thank you for letting me know." She was glad April was so forthcoming. Normally doctors made the worst patients.

When she placed the blood pressure cuff on April's arm she saw her wedding ring was missing. On closer inspection she noticed her fingers were swollen. Again, likely nothing, but it was cause for pause. "Has anything else been bothering you?"

"No" she shrugged. "Not really."

"She's been tired" Jackson said. "Exhausted."

"Fatigue is perfectly normally with pregnancy" April said.

Addison tried to hold back her smirk at the bickering between them. "The only thing worse than having a doctor as a patient" she thought to herself "is having two." She looked up to check the meter, and had to hold back from cursing out loud. It read 210/160, well above normal.

"April, have you ever had high blood pressure?"

"What?" she gasped. "No."

Jackson rose from his seat. "Does she now?"

"Yes" Addison said. "Very high."

"Oh God, do you think it's preeclampsia?"

"I'm going to admit you to the hospital."

"We're only at twenty-one weeks" Jackson said. "That's way too early for delivery."

"We aren't there yet. Right now I just want to run some urine tests, and get some antihypertensives in her system."

"Jackson" April said in a panicked voice as she reached for his arm.

"Shhh" he said, stroking her hair. "It's gonna be fine. It's gonna be just fine."

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April lay in her hospital bed, hooked up to an IV drop, waiting for Addison to give them the test results. The light filtered in from the window, reflected off the white linoleum and brightened the room. She normally didn't notice too many details about the patient rooms when she was working, but now that she was lying there was nothing to do she noticed a lot. She noticed how the television was positioned so it was impossible to see it without craning her neck. She noticed how tacky the vase of fake pink flowers on the nightstand looked. She noticed that her husband who was sitting in a nearby chair, bouncing his legs nervously, and the reality of the situation set in again.

"Jackson?" she asked. "What if something is really wrong?"

"It's going to be fine" he said reassuringly rubbing her arm.

"But, we need to talk about what happens if it isn't fine. If it comes down to it and you have to choose between my life or the baby's-"

"April, that won't happen. We're going to get your BP under control, and you're going to carry the baby to term."

"Jackson, I need to say this. If it comes down to it I want you to pick the baby. And I want you to promise me that's what you'll do."

"April, I _can't_ do that."

"I know it's hard, but this is what I want."

"Doesn't what I want matter?" he scoffed.

"What is it that you want?"

"I don't want to make a decision that will kill my wife, which is what you're esentially asking me to do."

"Only if your child's life is at stake!"

"It isn't a child" he snapped. "It's a… fetus."

"Jackson!" April gasped.

"I know you want to have a baby" he said in a more measured tone. "I do too, but we have other options. We could get a surrogate, we could adopt, hell we could even try again ourselves. What I won't do is let you quit on me."

"I'm not quitting. I'm putting my baby's life ahead of my own. Are you seriously not going to back me on this."

"No. Look, in all likelihood this won't even be a conversation we need to have."

"And if it is?"

"If Addison recommends termination as the safest thing for you, I think that's what we should do."

"Hello?" Addison asked, stepping into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have the results-"

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	2. Chapter 2

April reached out for Jackson's and she gave it a squeeze. She took a deep breath before turning to Addison "What do the tests say?"

"The protein levels in your urine are elevated."

"Damn" Jackson said. "So it is preeclampsia."

"Yes. We'll have to monitor April closely for the time being-"

"But, her BP could skyrocket at any time" Jackson said. "There's no way to know."

"That's true, but we won't release her into her pressure is stabilized."

"But that won't mean she's completely out of the woods, will it?"

"No" Addison admitted. "It won't. "

"If April was farther along, you'd induce?"

"Yes. But at this stage in pregnancy there's no way the baby would survive outside of the womb."

"Is it in the best interest of April's health to induce?"

"Technically speaking, yes. If that's the decision the two of you were to make, it would eliminate April's risk of complication."

"But there's no way a baby could survive at 21 weeks" April said.

"No" Addison said.

"Then it absolutely isn't an option."

"April-"

"Jackson, no! It isn't an option."

"I'm going to give you two some time alone" Addison said, exiting the room.

April watched the door closed, and sat up in bed. "Jackson, I'm not terminating this pregnancy."

"Why? Because Jesus says not to?"

"Because that isn't what I want! I know it isn't what you really want either. You've been so excited about this baby. You've been working on the nursery on your days off, and I see the way you smile when you're looking at the pictures of the sonogram on your phone."

"I'm excited to be having a baby with you, but there are other ways we can do that, ways that won't risk your life."

"Addison said that if I stayed on bed rest-"

"That you could still be in danger. April, it could be another twenty weeks before you deliver, that's a really long time to be walking such a fine line. I don't need to tell you how serious preeclampsia is. You could bleed out if the placenta detaches, you could go septic, if you develop eclampsia you're risking brain, and liver damage-"

"Or I could be fine."

"It is too big of a risk."

"Not when the payoff is our baby" she smiled, placing her hand on her stomach.

"We can have another baby."

"But it won't be this one! It won't be the baby that I've felt fluttering this past week, the one I sing to when you aren't around. I love him or her so much already."

"And I love you" he said, his voice breaking. "I can't lose you."

"Hey" she smiled, moving her hand to his arm. "You are not going to lose me. I'm not going anywhere. Not when I've finally got everything I've always wanted."

"I really wish you'd just consider this" he sighed in frustration.

"Well I'm sorry, but I won't."

He walked towards the door. "I think maybe we both need a few minutes alone to think this over."

"Alright" she said, watching him walk away. "But, I'm not going to change my mind."

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The door swung open and April's eyes widened in anticipation, hoping that Jackson had changed his mind. But, instead of Jackson it was Arizona at the door. "Oh my God, are you alight? I heard a group of nurses down the hall saying you've been admitted for preeclampsia."

"Yeah. They're keeping me here until my pressure drops. Jackson's a mess."

"I can imagine" Arizona said. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine physically, horrible emotionally."

"You're worried about the baby?"

"Yeah. And my marriage. Jackson's angry that I won't consider termination."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry."

"What do you think?" April asked. "Do you think it's the wrong decision too?"

"From a medical standpoint or friend standpoint?"

"Both."

"Well, from a medical standpoint I think that you're very early in your pregnancy to be showing signs of preeclampsia and you're risking complication by continuing it. But, as a friend I think you should do what you think is best. It's your body, and your baby, and if I were in your position I'd probably do the same. I know I'd risk my life for Sofia."

"Thank you."

"But, I see Jackson's side too. If this were Callie… Just give him some time, he'll come around."

"You think so?"

"I know so."


	3. Chapter 3

Jackson felt a twinge of nervous energy knocking on the door to Christina Yang's apartment. He didn't really know Christina all that well, aside from a very awkward kiss at a party years ago, and what he was about to ask her for was fairly personal. She answered the door in her bathrobe, and that made him feel even more out of place. "Dr. Avery, what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to talk to you."

She moved aside to let him in.

"Thanks" he said.

"So… sup?"

"I'd really appreciate it if you talked to April for me."

"Kepner and I aren't really girlfriends."

"No, but I know she respects you, and what you've been through something like what we're going through."

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"

"I want April to terminate her pregnancy."

"Whoa" she said. "Where is this coming from? I thought you two were all psyched to be procreating?"

"We were" he said. "Before we found out that April's blood pressure is elevated. The pregnancy is high-risk, but April won't even consider abortion. I just think she might understand the whole thing better if you talked to her."

"Uh-huh" she nodded. "You know I think your wife is ridiculous right? I mean, she's obnoxious, and flighty, and Pollyanna-ish."

"Are we getting to a point?" he asked, clenching his jaw in annoyance. He'd typically defend his wife, but sense he was in Christina's house, in the middle of the night, asking for a favor, he held back.

"I'm not going to be knitting sweaters and drinking cocoa with her anytime soon, but I respect her. As a doctor, and as a capable adult who doesn't need me to give her advice on what to do with her own uterus and whatever is growing in it."

"She could die!"

"Well, if she's willing to take that risk, I'm not about to march in there like the abortion police and tell her she has to make the same decision as I did."

"So that's it? What I want doesn't matter? I just have to spend the next six and a half months with my fingers crossed that I won't lose my wife."

"She won't need to wait the full nine months to induce, and I'm sure Addison will keep a close watch on her, she's an excellent doctor."

He sighed. "I guess that all makes it a little better."

"Good, glad I could help" she said dismissively, opening the door. "Should we hug now?"

"Definitely not. Thank you."

"Yep."

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He headed back to room 323, to try to talk some sense into his wife one last time, but found her bed empty. His heart sank in his chest, and it felt like all his worst fears had been confirmed. "Where's my wife?" he asked the nurse in the hall through the open door. "Did something happen? Is she alright?"

"Yes. She just went for a walk."

"'Went for a walk?'" he said angrily, moving into the hall to talk to her. "She's on bed rest."

"She said something about the chapel?"

"Great" he sighed, pressing the call button for the elevator.

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He ran to the chapel, and sure enough his wife was in the second row of pews, head bowed, and eyes closed. "April" he sighed. you're supposed to be in bed."

"Relaxation is good for me" she said, opening her eyes, but keeping her gaze away from him. "This relaxes me. It's so pretty in here. The way the stained glass reflects the light."

"Yeah, it's great" he said, unimpressed. He sat next to her, and put his arm around her protectively.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you."

"Right" she scoffed.

"I'm not. I'm just frustrated. I feel like I'm watching you teeter on the edge of a cliff, and there's nothing I can do to get you to come down."

"Jackson, there's a good chance that I'll have carry a healthy baby to term, and be just fine."

"Any chance of losing you is too big, okay? You aren't just my wife, you're my best friend. You're everything."

"You and this baby are everything to me too" she smiled, placing a hand over her belly. "That's why I'm doing this. This is the best thing for our family. I really do believe that everything is going to work out."

"Is there anything I can do to get you to reconsider this?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"Okay" he sighed. "So what do we do?"

"We wait. We trust that everything is going to be alright. We hope for the best."

"Well, you need to do what Addison says then" he said getting up. "Come on, back in bed."

"Alright" she sighed.

"You know, it probably isn't good for you to be walking."

"Jackson, I'm fine."

"Well" he said, scoping his left hands beneath her, and using his right hand to support her back. "We should use every precaution necessary."

"You'll hurt yourself" April laughed.

"Please, even pregnant you weigh like ninety pounds."

"I love you" she smiled, looking into eyes.

"I love you too, April" he said back. "I love you so much it scares me."

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